Thermal exchange barrel



Dec. 26, 1939. DElBEL 2,184,380

THERMAL EXCHANGE BARREL Filed Dec. 28, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheei 1 INVENTOR A'ITORNEY Dec. 2 6, 1939;

E. C. DEIBEL THERMAL EXCHANGE BARREL Filed Dec. 28, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Emacs-r C DEIBEL INVENTOR ATTORNEY Patented Dec. 26 1939 THERMAL EXCHANGE BARREL Ernest C. Deibel, Akron, Ohio Application December 28, 1936, Serial No. 117,697

2 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in containers having means for bringing the contents thereof to a desired temperature and maintaining the. same at said temperature.

While intended for use generally wherever it may be advantageously applied, the invention is particularly adapted for use in a cooling barrel for beer, ale, etc., in which connection it will be illustrated in the drawings and hereinafter described. Objects of the invention are to provide a barrel of simple, economical construction, which will be" strong and durable, which may be used to contain beer or other liquid and to provide conveniently usable means for quickly and efliciently bringing the contents of the barrel to a desired temperature.

A further'objectis to provide a jacketed barrel which may be used for cooling purposes as hereinafter set forth and which will be strong and durable and can be used and reused for a relatively long period of time.

An additional object is to provide a barrel permanently enclosed within a fluid tight casing with a completely enclosed space between the barrel and the casing; which may be utilized to thermally insulate the barrel; to hold a medium adapted to retain the contents of the barrel at a desired temperature for a certain length of time or for receiving a thermal exchange medium for changing the temperature of the contents of the barrel ed in various ways to various purposes and that changes and modifications may be made which come within the scope of the claims hereunto appended.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is an elevational view of a barrel constructed in accordance with this invention, the same being shown with cooling apparatus operatively attached thereto;

Figure 2 is a central, vertical, sectional view of same, the parts shown in elevation;

Figure 3 is an elevational view of 'a modified form of the invention;

Figure 4 is a cross sectional view of same taken as indicated by the lines 4-4 of Figure 3;

Figure 5 is aacentral, vertical, sectional view and also illustrating in side elevation and by diagram temperature changing mechanism; operatively attached thereto.

Proceeding now to a detailed description of the invention with reference to the. particular adaptation thereof disclosed in the drawings, the numeral 6 denotes a barrel which is completely enclosed within the casing I. The barrel and the casing are of similarsh'ape and the barrel 6 is held in a central position within the casing I by means of a plurality of spaced brackets 8 thereby pro viding an enclosed space! which completely sur-- rounds the barrel 6. The barrel 6 is provided on. I

one side thereof with a suitable bung-hole. Ill and the casing I is'provided with a like coinciding opening Illa.

A tube Illb is-positioned. through the opening III in the casing 'I and through the hole Illa in the barrel 6 and is welded or totherwise suitably secured to forma fluid tight-joint between the tube I01) and the barrel 6 and the casing I. The

numeral II denotes a bung which maybe employedto close the pipe l0.

One head of the barrel is likewise provided with an opening I2 and the adjacentvhead of the casing 'I is provided with the opening I3. Atube I4 is secured to the barrel by welding or any suitable means to communicate with the opening I2 and to project through and completely-close the opening I3 in the casing I. The-tube I4 is closed with a suitable plug I5 and is interiorly threaded at the upper end thereof to receive a beer pump or other fluid tapping device which may be inserted through the tube It to draw beer or other fluid I6 from the barrel 6. r

The casing I is provided adjacent the lower end thereof with an opening. I! and is provided adjacent the upper end thereof with an opening I8. A thermal exchange fluid 25 may be pumped or otherwise introduced into one of the openings I'I to completely fill the space 9 between thebarre 6 and the casing I.

In the drawings, there is shown a tank l9 which I is filled with ice water. The pump 20 driven by an electric motor ZI has an intake pipe 22 positioned within the tank I9 and an outlet pipe 23' which is operatively attached to the opening ll. A discharge pipe 24 is operatively attached to the opening I8 with the discharge end thereof leading to the tank I9. When it is desired to cool the liquid I6 the pump 20 is operated to draw cold water 25 or other thermal exchange medium, from the tank I9 through the opening I! into the space 9 until the space 9 "is completely filled and 'overtaken as indicated by the lines 5-5 of Figure 3 flows through the pipe 24 back to the tank IQ. .55

As the temperature of the thermal exchange liquid is raised by the contents II the warmer liquid 26 will rise to the top and be discharged through the pipe 24. As the thermal exchange liquid completely surrounds the barrel the liquid l6 will be quickly and efilciently cooled to the desired temperature. By regulating the operation or the pump 26 this temperature may be indefinitely maintained. In Figures 3, 4, and 5 there is illustrated a barrel 26 which is similar to the barrel 6 and which is provided around the middle portion thereof with a jacket 21.

In the particular adaptation of the invention illustrated in Figure 3 the barrel 26 is cylindrical and the jacket 21 has cylindrical end portions 28 in which the barrel is snugly received and which is welded or otherwise suitably secured thereto to iorm a fluid tight juncture therebetween. The central portion of the jacket is bulged outwardly thus materially strengthening the barrel 26 and forming a circumferentially extending middle raised portion on which the barrel may be conveniently rolled.

The outwardly bulged portion of the jacket forms a fiuid tight space 29 which completely surrounds the middle portion of the barrel. The numeral 36 denotes a partition which is disposed longitudinally of the barrel and extends between barrel and the jacket. The partition 36 is welded or otherwise suitably secured therein to extend entirely across the space 29. The jacket 21 is provided on one side of the partition 36 with an inlet opening 3| and on the other side thereof with an inlet opening 32. Suitable nipples 33 are secured in said openings for operatively attaching the inlet hose 231 to the inlet opening 3| and an outlet hose 24 to the outlet opening 32.

The barrel 26 is provided in one head thereof with an opening 34 in which is fitted the nipples 35 which is of conventional design and which is adapted to operatively receive a beer pump or other liquid drawing device which may be inserted therein.

The barrel 26 is provided on one side thereof with a bung-hole 36 having a tubular extension 31 which projects through the space 29 and through the jacket 21 and is welded or otherwise suitably secured to the jacket and the barrel to form a liquid tight joint therebetween.

The numeral 38 denotes a hung or other closure member which may be inserted in the tube 31 to close the barrel. In Figure 5 there is shown substantially the same thermal changing unit as is illustrated in Figures 1 and 2. In this figure the temperature changing medium is drawn from the tank l9 by the pump 26 and delivered through the hose 23 to the inlet opening 3|. The space I9 is thus filled with a temperature changing medium which must pass entirely around the barrel to the outlet opening 32 on the opposite side of the partition 36. As the temperature changing medium is torced into the space 29 by the pump 26 and ,as it flows therefrom through the hose 24 by gravity, the space 29 may be completely filled with a temperature changing medium.

In Figure 5 there is also shown a thermostatic means for controlling the operation of the motor 2| and it is understood that this means may he applied to the adaptation shown in Figures 1 and 2.

While any suitable thermostatic controlling means may be employed, I have shown a circuit closing thermostat 39 having a thermometer 46 projecting into the barrel 26. The thermostat 39 is operatively interposed in one of the lines 46 and 4| in the electric circuit of the motor 2|. It will be seen that the thermostat may be set to close the circuit. of the motor 2| and maintain the circuit in a closed' condition as long as the contents of the barrel is above the desired temperature and that as soon as the liquid within the barrel has been reduced to a predetermined temperature the thermostatic closing device 39 will break the circuit thus stopping the fiow of the Ithermal exchange liquid to the jacket cavity 9.

It will be understood that the tank I9 may be in the form of an ice machine or any suitable temperature changing means and that the temperature changing liquid 25 may be a brine or other suitable liquid cooled by the temperature changing means. It will also be understood that any form of thermostatic control may be employed to regulate any suitable means which maybe employed to circulate the temperature changing medium.

It will thus be seen that I have provided simple, highly eflicient means which can be conveniently employed to accurately regulate the temperature of beer or other liquid.

Having thus illustrated my invention and described the same in detail, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a device of the character described, a barrel, a jacket enclosing a space around said barrel, said jacket having an inlet opening at one extremity of said space and an outlet opening at the other extremity thereof; means to cool a thermal exchange liquid to a desired temperature and means operative to force said liquid through said inlet opening to said space to fill the same therewith and cause the same to fiow therethrough and be discharged from said outlet opening, and thermostatic means controlled by the temperature of the contents of the barrel for regulating the flow of the liquid.

2. In a refillable barrel for beer or the like, a container, a continuous jacket completely surrounding said container with an enclosed space therebetween, said jacket having an inlet and an outlet opening leading to said space; means to cool a thermal exchange liquid, an electrically driven pump having a discharge pipe operatively connected to said inlet opening, said pump operable to deliver said liquid from said cooling means to said space and circulate the same therethrough and thermostatic means regulated by the temperature of the contents of said container for controlling the operation of said pump substantially as and for the purpose herein set forth.

ERNEST c. DEIBEL. 

